IEA Academic & Research Director Dr James Forder recently authored a paper on how the Electronic Communications Code could be reformed to speed up the roll-out of 5G across the UK.

Legislation has reduced the rent telecom companies must pay to landowners for housing network equipment, such as masts. This poses a threat to property rights and is slowing down the 5G rollout.

Land agents have reported that mobile phone operators are now offering extremely low rental fees to farmers. The paper argues that a system which allows landowners to be fairly compensated for use of their land would speed-up the 5G rollout.

The paper was featured in Farmers Weekly. Read here.